See the first part of the story here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x8284825First I have to apologize for the crappy pix. Sorry. I took my “better” camera, but of course the batteries were dead. I ended up sitting there long enough to have gone and bought some more, but I was too scared to leave. I didn't want to miss them coming through. At least I had the cell phone, cruddy as it is.
The normal sequence of events at the weekly sale is odd livestock first at 11 am. They just recently quit selling horses, partly because of the slaughter ban, partly because they say they have been harassed by animal rights activists. I am a little surprised by that as they run a pretty open, clean sale. Anybody can walk around the pens (within reason, some animals are plain dangerous) and (can I get away with saying this?) there are a lot of women working there.
Anyway, after the odd goat or so, comes the baby calves and pairs (calves and cows together) then after lunch what are known as stockers. These are the money animals, 9 months old to a year or so - steers and heifers. Cull bulls and old cows go last. They had “scheduled” the two big guys to go after the regular stockers. Lots of people had been by or heard about them since we took them in early on Sunday. (Normally Wednesday is my choice to take things, because they charge yardage and feed, but I have no facilities to hold those guys – part of the reason they were so old and the real reason they had to go!)
Here are some normal yearling steers:
It was pretty funny when the steer entered because about 10 of us stood up and started taking pictures. Here is a head shot – not wide enough to get his horns all the way. Note where his back comes to on the sign compared to the first picture.
Here he is watching his audience:
The sale barn owner normally works in the ring, letting the animals in and calls up to the auctioneer the starting price, and any other info he wants announced, but I noticed he left an came out on the outside just when the big dark steer entered. :rofl:
That is him walking towards the camera, being watched. Note the guy in the blue shirt staying behind the protective panel. I wonder if he got a little extra hazard pay? :P
Yet another blurry shot, but it shows his size. Want to guess what he weighed?
Here he is on the scale:
And:
Pretty hefty.
The white one weighed just 50 lbs less.He was a little more agitated and even the guy in the blue shirt decided to step out of there.
At least three people bid on them, I know one guy – he had been (unsuccessfully)involved in trying to catch them about 4 years ago. The Auction owner is the one who bought them, I heard later that he had an order from somebody else to get them but I haven't found out who yet. At any rate it would seem to be somebody who wants them for novelty and not food, at least yet.
Thus ends the tail of two gigantic steers on the old homeplace. Well, unless they get away from whoever ends up with them. They have a pretty strong homing instinct and not many fences can hold them. :scared: